Infra Dig – Ethiopian Airlines’ glorious ambitions

The focus of this latest episode of Infra Dig – the IJGlobal podcast – turns to a fascinating company that is revolutionising air travel across Africa… and beyond.

IJGlobal editorial director Angus Leslie Melville speaks to 2 guests from Ethiopian Airlines – chief executive Mesfin Tasew and CFO Adamu Tadele – as well as regular speaker Ravi Suri, global head of sustainable finance and impact investing at KPMG.

This podcast runs for 48 minutes and sees the trio take listeners through the history of the airline’s growth, its strategy for the future and plans to create a glorious airport in Ethiopia that will serve as a continental hub.

This latest episode can be accessed on Spotify (embedded above) as well as through the Amazon service. It is also hosted across a slew of other platforms, open access on all of them.

Ethiopian Airlines was established in 1946 and nowadays flies to more than 130 international destinations, operating a fleet of 145 modern aircraft.

Mesfin – who has been chief exec since March 2022 and is due to retire this year – says: “It has been growing fast during the last 20 years to get to where it is today. Last year, in June 2025, we transported 19 million passengers during that year and generated a revenue of close to $7.6 billion.”

The airline has a long-term strategy: Vision 2035 – which is currently transitioning to Vision 2040 – and works closely with the Ethiopian government which allows it to operate as an independent entity.

One of the most exciting developments that Ethiopian Airlines is driving (and that is of greatest interest to IJGlobal subscribers) is the project finance of Bishoftu International Airport (BIA) project.

The first phase of the BIA project is valued at around $12.5 billion and it is slated to reach financial close in Q1 2027 and then to serve as the continental aviation hub.

Roughly 40km south west of Addis Ababa, the greenfield airport project is expected to ease mounting capacity pressure at the existing Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.

The initial phase is slated for completion by 2030 and will accommodate up to 60 million passengers annually. Once fully built, BIA is expected to reach a capacity of about 110 million passengers per year.

Tune in to the latest episode to hear more about the airline and this exciting PF airport.